The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi has said that Kebbi State has the capacity to feed the entire nation.
He disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit on Gov. Nasir Idris in Government House, Birnin Kebbi on Sunday.
Obi observed that God Almighty had blessed the state with vast land for mass agricultural production, adding that if properly harnessed, the entire nation would have no reason to be hungry.
The ex-presidential candidate cited an example of Belgium, which has less than 20 per cent land size of Kebbi but could produce $20 billion worth of agricultural export annually.
He therefore advised the state government to take advantage of the vast land and engage in cultivation of different crops to generate employment, eradicate poverty, tackle inflation and check the incessant insecurity bedeviling the country.
Obi added that Northern Nigeria “is blessed with abundant land, if government actually invest in agriculture, we can no longer depend on oil. We can comfortably feed ourselves and export it out to other countries.
“By exporting to other countries, we can earn more foreign exchange, thereby force the price of US Dola down against Naira.”
Responding, Gov. Nasir Idris appreciated Obi for the visit and assured that the state was not unmindful of the opportunities across the state.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida, assured the visitor that the present administration had invested heavenly in agriculture.
He recalled that the present government had procured fertilisers worth N2.9 billion last rainy season and distributed it free to farmers across the state, which had busted productivity as well as crop yield in the state.
The governor added: “We have also procured solar powered pumping machines and distribute it at 30 per cent price to farmers across the state with a view to ameliorating fuel cost.
Gov. Idris assured that government would leverage on the vast land opportunity to expand agricultural cultivation for enhanced productivity across the state.
